Spain’s political showdown with Catalonia is set to reach a new level on Thursday (19 October) when political leaders in Madrid and Barcelona are expected to make good on pledges made to their supporters to stick to their tough positions over the region’s future.

Catalonia’s independence vote held on 1 October failed to meet the international standards to be considered as a referendum, the head of the international observation mission told EURACTIV.com on Wednesday (18 October).

The conservative ÖVP led by Sebastian Kurz scored a clear victory in Austria’s legislative elections on Sunday, garnering 31.4 percent of the vote. The right-wing populist FPÖ came second with 27.4 percent. Both parties gained around seven percentage points. Europe’s commentators analyse why the FPÖ’s strong showing hasn’t caused much of an outcry this time.